Thicker Than Water
by RosesandThorns666
Summary: AU. Dean and Castiel adopt a little girl with some serious issues, and find themselves having more on their hands than anticipated, and Castiel finds himself having to prove that blood, or in this case bond, is thicker than water. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **AU. Dean and Castiel adopt a little girl with some serious issues, and find themselves having more on their hands than anticipated, and Castiel finds himself having to prove that blood, or in this case bond, is thicker than water. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Supernatural _or its characters. I only own Grace Winchester.

**A/N: **A new, angsty and slightly dark Destiel AU fic. It should be very fluffy in places but the angst will begin to build gradually between the two of them throughout, however regarding the little girl, the angst is constant. Hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Thicker Than Water<strong>

**Chapter One**

The children's home was so bright and colourful, it even made Dean and Castiel smile.

They were going to finally take home their new daughter. Grace Winchester, formerly Grace Adler, was just two years old, yet already her life had been full of horror and tragedy. She was a frightened child. A tortured, weak, vulnerable child.

Her mother had been beaten and murdered right before her eyes before her father had shot himself in the head, leaving her crying and screaming until someone else came to help her. She didn't speak much, and got scared over tiny little things. She'd flinch if someone went to touch her and she couldn't go to sleep alone, yet the little brunette with chin length curls found solace in Castiel. As soon as he'd appeared in the doorway of her room she'd felt okay to approach him, and the manager of the home, Ellen Harvelle, was surprised by her sudden lack of her usual fear and shyness. Ellen met the two in the doorway and smiled, gently pushing Grace from behind her.

"Hey, Gracie..." Castiel whispered softly, kneeling down as she edged towards him clutching her cuddly rabbit with her thumb in her mouth, "We're here to take you home, sweetheart."

She let him wrap his arms around her and she just rested silently against his shoulder. No sound, no apparent emotion. Just a blank, pale face. Castiel picked her up and kissed her head, his love for her just filling him with warmth as she turned and buried her face in his neck, her little arms going around his neck. She clearly needed so much love and he and Dean knew that they could give her just that.

"Hey, tiger." Dean said softly, watching as she looked over Castiel's shoulder at him, "You ready to come to our house now?"

Grace nodded softly and cuddled back up to Castiel, Dean taking her bags and thanking Ellen before the two took her out to Dean's baby, his '67 Chevy Impala. She'd been his from his eighteenth birthday, and he took really good care of her. But now there was an even more important baby in his life. Grace. He'd made some adjustments on the car to fit in a car seat for her, and he'd also made some tapes of soothing music for her on the ride home. They knew that she'd been through a lot, and that she'd shown some signs of having further issues that they may need to see a doctor about in the future, but they were okay with that. She needed love and care, and the two of them were more than willing to provide it for her.

"Are you okay back there, darlin'?" Dean asked, earning a silent nod from the little girl, "Just let us know if you need anything."

Castiel smiled at Dean, the two deciding not to share the kiss that they wanted to until Grace wasn't in the way. They didn't want to have that kind of affection in front of her just yet. She knew that they were together, because Ellen had explained that sometimes a girl can love a girl and a boy can love a boy, and that some children have two mommies, and that some have two daddies. It was something that Dean and Castiel were trying to be careful and sensitive about since she was just two, and she probably wasn't used to seeing children with two mommies or two daddies, never mind actually being one of those children.

Dean played his slow rock ballads, and Castiel caught Grace smiling through _Nothing Else Matters _by Metallica. Dean also saw the smile on her face, and it made him feel fantastic. His baby was already a Metallica fan.

When they reached home, Castiel took her inside while Dean got the bags, taking them straight to her bedroom.

They'd decorated their guest room in a light shade of pink, since she'd shown Castiel that it was her favourite colour, and the floor was covered with a pink carpet. Her bed was like a princess's bed, and it had a little canopy over it so she felt like a real princess when she went to sleep. She had a light wood toy chest, and there was a white rocking chair by the window where they would rock her to sleep on a night until she felt comfortable going to sleep by herself.

Ellen had explained how the care staff had been rocking her to sleep since she'd arrived there, and how she'd never settled into the routine of getting herself to sleep. Castiel knew a lot about the stars and planets, so he could tell her lots of things when they were getting ready for bed time. He'd planned out a daily routine and it was stuck on the refrigerator in the kitchen. He'd decided to leave his job at the local school to take care of her, and since Dean's garage was doing so well, and since they had a decent amount of money stored away, the two found that they'd be able to afford to have Castiel at home looking after her.

Her clothes were in her light wood closet, and in her chest of drawers, which had a Disney princess night light on it. One of her walls had a special display board on it, and Castiel, from his many years of experience working with children, had created her own personal display for her pictures and the other activities they carried out at home. She had a small doll house in the corner, a playhouse set by the rocking chair and a dress up area near the closet. Dean smiled as he looked around the room, and he knew that when Grace got settled, she'd love that room.

Downstairs, Castiel was letting Grace explore her new home, and as she gently stepped through the house, she looked at everything that there was in it.

"This is Daddy and Papa," Castiel said softly as she looked at a photo on the coffee table, "From when we were younger."

She smiled as she touched it, taking Castiel's hand again and clutching her cuddly rabbit, Carrot to her as they moved into the kitchen.

"And this is where Papa will make all your meals, and where Papa and Gracie will do some baking." Castiel said softly, "Does that sound fun?"

Grace nodded and let Castiel take her back through to lead her up the stairs, opening and closing the baby gate as they went. He showed her the bedroom where he and Dean slept, before taking her to the bathroom, letting her see where it was and to have a look around it.

"Do you want to see your room?" Castiel asked, earning a soft nod from the little girl, "Daddy and I took a long time getting it ready because we wanted to make it perfect for you."

He let Grace walk in first, and watched as she gasped at the sight of her new room. She beamed and rushed towards the playhouse set, immediately picking up the little baby that lay in the small crib and holding it close to her. Castiel smiled as she approached him, kneeling down as she cuddled up to him.

"Do you like it?" He asked, earning another nod from the tiny girl who pressed a little kiss to his cheek.

As she went to Dean, she stretched up her arms, and he picked her up to hold her close, gently kissing her temple.

"What do you think, baby?" He asked, "Did Papa and me do a good job?"

Grace nodded again, settling against Dean who took her to play in the dress up area while Castiel continued to unpack her things.

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><p>That night, Castiel sat rocking his little girl back and forth in the chair by the window, humming <em>Amazing Grace <em>to her to soothe her into sleep as she yawned tiredly and snuggled against him. When she finally fell asleep, he went to put her into bed, laying her in her new bed and tucking her in along with Carrot and kissing her goodnight.

"Night, Gracie." He whispered, "I love you."

Dean appeared in the doorway, approaching the bed and kissing her goodnight too.

"Night, gorgeous." He said softly, "I love you too. Papa and Daddy are gonna take good care of you."

She snuggled into her pillows and the two left her, content to leave her to sleep before they headed downstairs to spend some time together.

-TBC-

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed! <strong>

**Thanks for reading so far!**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **AU. Dean and Castiel adopt a little girl with some serious issues, and find themselves having more on their hands than anticipated, and Castiel finds himself having to prove that blood, or in this case bond, is thicker than water. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Supernatural _or its characters. I only own Grace Winchester.

**A/N: **Thanks for the support with the last chapter. I'm sorry this is my only update for today, but I'm struggling to deal with my break up, and as much as I love the guy I've had to try and get rid of any memory of him. That includes his email address, his phone number and I've deleted him from facebook. I'm not coping well which is why I've just been able to get out this chapter, which I think could've been a little longer, but I'm tired and I really, really need some sleep.

Hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Thicker Than Water<strong>

**Chapter Two**

The tugging at the bedsheets woke Dean and Castiel immediately and Castiel rolled over to see his little girl standing by the bed in tears. It was four in the morning, and poor little Grace was clearly upset by something. Castiel could guess what.

"Papa?" She whimpered, the first word she'd spoken since she'd arrived there being his name.

He grimaced and sat up, seeing their daughter cuddling her rabbit and sucking her thumb as she cried softly, and he figured she'd had a nightmare. Ellen had explained that she had them a lot, so he picked her up and held her close to him, sitting her on his knee and rocking her gently. The poor little thing was shaking so much that Castiel was concerned and her tiny body was freezing cold.

"Shhh," He soothed, Dean stirring beside him and sitting up to see him cuddling their daughter, "Look, Daddy's here to make you smile again, sweetie. Do you want to stay with Daddy and Papa?"

Grace nodded and Castiel placed her in bed between the two of them, Dean leaning down to kiss her tenderly. The little girl visibly relaxed as Dean rubbed her tummy gently and kissed her forehead, beginning to hum Metallica to soothe her. Castiel sighed sleepily and stroked her hair, watching as her beautiful eyes drifted shut and she snuggled her rabbit. The poor little thing. What an awful life she'd had so far. Castiel and Dean were going to make it all better, though, and Castiel was going to do all he could to get her settled in. Dean had left Castiel's twin, Jimmy in charge of the garage for the week while he and Castiel tried to make sure Grace was at peace with her new home.

"Sleep tight, my love." Castiel whispered, kissing her and then Dean before the two settled down to sleep beside her.

Tomorrow would be the start of a new, amazing day, and no-one could wait for it to get under way.

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><p>"Gracie?"<p>

Grace mumbled and wriggled, her little hands balling into fists as she made movements almost as a waking baby does, and Castiel smiled as she rubbed her eyes and opened them sleepily. He and Dean were both waiting for her to wake, and they smiled as she looked at them both and grinned tiredly.

"Good morning." Castiel whispered, stroking her hair gently.

"Morning, angel." Dean said softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "How are you this morning?"

Grace sat herself up slowly and cuddled her rabbit, sucking her thumb as she looked at her new parents. She liked them both. They hadn't hurt her once, and she'd already woken them up in the night. Maybe they wouldn't hurt her like her first daddy had.

"Papa..." She said softly, yawning and crawling over to Castiel, hugging him tightly before moving over to Dean, "Daddy..."

Dean kept her close and pressed a kiss to her head, rubbing her back tenderly before blowing little raspberries into her neck which made her pull away, a little frightened of him. Her eyes filled with tears and she edged away towards Castiel, Dean reached for her to try and encourage her back to him but she was set on being with Castiel.

"I'm sorry..." He said softly, "I didn't mean to scare you, sweetheart."

"No, Daddy never meant it, baby." Castiel said quietly, "He was just trying to play, that's all. It's okay."

"I didn't mean it, sweetie, honestly." Dean told her, "It's okay."

Her little lip wobbled and her face became streaked with tears, but she went back to Dean and hugged him, letting him embrace her and kiss her in return. He soothed her tears as she held onto him, stroking her hair and rubbing her back as she let out tiny hiccups and whimpers. Castiel smiled and joined in the hug, letting the little girl get all the love she could from both of them as they cuddled her close.

"How about we make our little girl some pancakes, huh?" Dean said quietly, "Do you like pancakes, Grace?"

Grace nodded and allowed Dean to pick her up, the twenty-eight year olds taking their little girl downstairs for breakfast. They headed to the kitchen and put on the radio, Dean putting her on a little booster seat and strapping her in.

"Would you like some milk, honey?" Castiel asked, Grace nodding softly.

"Yes pease, Papa." She said quietly, Dean and Castiel sharing a soft smile at the sudden use of words and as Castiel poured her a glass, Dean began to make his and Castiel's coffees.

He began to make the pancakes and watched as Castiel gave Grace the drink in a small cup, smiling as she picked it up gently. He was looking forward to all the times that he'd be able to do this, and that he'd be able to spend caring for this beautiful little girl. She'd been born into a family where her mother thought she was talking to angels and her father was a total control freak, but now she had two loving parents who were going to love her and take care of her no matter what.

"Take little sips, honey." Castiel said softly, Grace doing so, "Good girl. Are you hungry?"

Grace nodded softly, taking another sip of juice. Her big blue eyes met Castiel's and she held on to his hand, biting her lip softly. Castiel knew she was trying to get up the courage to ask a question so he waited patiently. Her use of language was good. It meant that she was growing more comfortable and it gave the boys more opportunities to help her learn more vocabulary for every day social interaction.

"I has sryoop, pease?" She asked, Castiel nodding softly and beaming at her.

"Of course you can have syrup, sweetheart." He said softly, pushing her chair to the table so she wouldn't spill the pancakes down herself.

"Tank you."

"You're welcome, honey."

Dean turned on the radio, letting music softly play into the kitchen as he served up the breakfast. His heart warmed at the way Grace's face lit up at the sight of the pancakes and she thanked him for her breakfast, bowing her head and clasping her hands together. Dean and Castiel didn't say grace very often, but the little girl was intent on doing so.

"Dear God, tank you for getting me a new family. Tank you for taking my momma to Heaven, and tank you for getting me Daddy and Papa. Amens."

Dean looked to Castiel who was gazing at Grace with tearful eyes, and he held the younger man's hand as he leaned down to kiss their daughter.

"That was so beautiful." He whispered, "Well done, Grace."

Getting up, Castiel grabbed a tissue and dabbed his eyes, which led Dean to remember exactly why Castiel was upset. Their child had been preached to about angels and God, and other religious foppery every day for the first two years of her life. But Castiel had endured that until he was sixteen and his own abusive father was locked up. His mother had died when he was three, and he didn't have many memories of her which hurt him a lot, but he still had his five brothers who took care of him no matter what.

After regaining his composure, Castiel rejoined his family at the dinner table, the three of them continuing to eat their breakfast.

-TBC-

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed!<strong>

**Thanks for reading so far!**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: **AU. Dean and Castiel adopt a little girl with some serious issues, and find themselves having more on their hands than anticipated, and Castiel finds himself having to prove that blood, or in this case bond, is thicker than water. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Supernatural _or its characters. I only own Grace Winchester. I don't own the lyrics used in this chapter either.

**A/N: **Thanks for the support so far! I shed a tear or two writing this one. Hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Thicker Than Water<strong>

**Chapter Three**

Castiel washed the dishes as Dean brought Grace's toy chest downstairs. Castiel watched as the little girl played with her cuddly rabbit, and he dried his hands, approaching her and sitting on the floor beside her. He needed to keep checking that she was okay, and that she was settling in alright without any worries. She knew that she could tell Dean and Castiel if she needed anything, but Castiel wanted to make sure she was comfortable with that.

"Does Carrot like your room, sweetheart?" He asked, smiling as she nodded and pulled on the rabbit's ears.

"Yes, tank you, Papa." She replied, smiling as Castiel stroked her head tenderly.

"It's lovely to hear your voice, Grace." He told her as Dean joined them, placing her toy chest on the floor.

"Here, honey." Dean said softly as opened it up, gasping as all the toys inside were revealed, "Look at all these toys!"

Grace stood herself up, toddling over to the chest and looking inside. She gasped as she saw the toys waiting for her and she smiled, leaning down and picking up a little pink car from the chest and returning to sit by her parents. Dean placed the chest at the other side of the coffee table and stroked her back gently.

"That looks a bit like Daddy's car, huh?"

Grace nodded and curled up to Dean, examining the car and handing the rabbit to him. She'd become quiet again, but that was okay because the communication she'd used so far was fantastic. She ran the car along the play mat on the coffee table and Dean smiled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her head and finding out his own car to play with.

"How about I take you out for a little drive in my car tomorrow to Uncle Sammy's house?" He asked, earning a soft grin from Grace who wanted another toy.

She hurried over to the chest and put the first toy back, taking out a clockwork duck instead. She examined it curiously and passed it to Castiel, who wound it up and let it walk across the coffee table. And the squeal of delight that escaped Grace's lips as she pressed close to Dean made smiles light up both Dean and Castiel's faces. Her laugh was the most beautiful sound they'd ever heard and they watched her little feet as stamped them into the floor and ran to look at the duck more curiously.

When it stopped, she looked up at Dean and held the duck out to him.

"'Gain, Daddy Dean! 'Gain!"

"Again?" He asked, earning a nod from the little girl, "Okay..."

Castiel smiled as she ran over to him to wait for the duck to make its way back and she squealed with laughter again, stamping her little feet with excitement. She picked it up again and passed it to Castiel.

"'Gain, Papa Cas!"

Castiel kissed her head and set if off, both he and Dean laughing at the utter joy it gave her. She'd really livened up and the two found it absolutely adorable to watch, especially when she kissed the duck and hugged it before putting it back in the chest and pick out a little blue unicorn with a silver horn, purple hoofs and a purple tale with big, beautiful blue eyes. Dean and Castiel sat on the sofa, hoisting her up with them.

"What its name called?" She asked stroking it gently as Dean snuggled her between himself and Castiel.

"We don't know." Castiel said, "She just magically appeared in the toy box just before you came here."

"Maybe you should name her." Dean said softly, "Carrot might need a friend to take care of her while you're sleeping at night time."

"Anna..."

Castiel looked at Dean sadly and then at Grace, stroking her head gently as the little girl began to cry quietly.

"Mama's name was called Anna." She said, hiccuping and bursting into tears.

Dean picked her up and cuddled her close to him, rocking her back and forth as the crying turned to screams and Grace covered her little ears like she was reliving her mother's death over and over again. Castiel bit his lip and moved forward as she started to shiver and became hysterical, Dean passing her over as Castiel gently placed the blanket that rested on the back of the couch over her little body, rocking her gently and hushing her, stroking her head gently.

"Sing to her, Cas..." Dean said softly, remembering what Ellen told them about her flashbacks.

Her favourite lullaby was from the Disney movie that always had Castiel in tears.

"_Baby mine, don't you cry.  
>Baby mine, dry your eyes.<br>Rest your head close to my heart,  
>Never to part, baby of mine..." <em>

Castiel sang softly, hushing her as he did and resting her head close to his chest so she could feel his heart beating.

"_Little one, when you play  
>Don't you mind what they say.<br>Let those eyes sparkle and shine,  
>Never a tear, baby of mine." <em>

Dean watched as Grace began to calm slowly, her little body jolting with the occasional hiccup and sob. Castiel was so good with her, so good at comforting her that it made Dean feel a little jealous. He found himself to be a bit like his dad, not very good with dealing with emotions. Even though this was his little girl now, the pain of her crying like that was too much for him to deal with and he couldn't cope with having to hear it.

"_From your head to your toes,  
>You're not much, goodness knows,<br>You're so precious to me,  
>Cute as can be, baby of mine." <em>

Grace settled a little more and Castiel carried on humming to her and rocking her as she tired herself out, her tears were hot as they poured down her face, and it not only worried Dean and Castiel that she could get so upset so quickly, but it broke their hearts too. Dean moved closer and stroked her head gently, making sure she was actually with them again and not locked in her waking nightmares.

"Gracie?" He whispered, "It's Daddy and Papa, darlin'. You're okay...It's all okay..."

The little girl reached for him and took his hand, and Dean sat close enough to Castiel to keep her close in the middle of them as they hugged her and kissed her gently.

"We love you, baby." Castiel whispered, "We love you so much."

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><p>That night after Grace was tucked into bed, Castiel sat at the kitchen table with a hand over his mouth and tears in his eyes. It broke his heart so much to see such a beautiful little girl in so much pain. She was so sweet and so gentle, he couldn't understand why her father had hurt her so much.<p>

Dean joined him after checking on their daughter and sat beside him, taking his spare hand. The tears began to spill and Dean just pulled Castiel closer and held him in his embrace, stroking the back of his head and letting him cry into his neck and shoulder. This was the part of their life with their child that they knew would be emotionally draining, but they knew that it would all be worth it to help her have the best childhood they could give her.

-TBC-

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed!<strong>

**Thanks for reading so far!**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
><strong>


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